Wanna see something different? This is a super premium and high end ramen subscription box from Japan. It’s full of neat stuff and I’ll let you just take a look because it’s pretty rad! Get a Ramen Trunk at http://bit.ly/ramentrunk Use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off a subscription or single gift box!
I’ve reviewed this in the past, but this one has new packaging and so gets a new number. I dunno – could have a new recipe too. Many companies are making subtle below the radar changes on their domestic product lines including lowering sodium. It’s kind of funny; people complain about the amount of sodium in instant noodles, but when presented a lower sodium product that exclaims the feature, they’ll shy away with thoughts of blandness. It just goes to show people are kind of conflicted. Okay, not kind of.
Maruchan has pushed a lot of low-cost product on the market – as mentioned in the book The Noodle Narratives (I can’t recommend reading this higher), low cost and high volume could be their motto. Price-point is a huge concern for manufacturers here in the United States and unfortunately for instant noodles, that’s given them a lot of negative stigma as to quality. Most instant noodle companies globally seek some pretty impressive QC standards and certifications which aren’t all that easily (or cheaply) attained.
In Japan, Maruchan products come in a myriad of flavors and varieties – fancy and expensive bowls with all sorts of different unique qualities. The lack of acceptance in the US market of higher end instant noodles has been a real thorn in the side of innovation it seems, although in recent years, I’ve seen a few new things coming from Maruchan in particular that are interesting, for example their Taste Of Asia Bowl range which includes a truly excellent Tom Yum variety.
Anyways, not trying to toot anyone’s horns here but thought I’d ramble on a Sunday morning. Let’s check out some roast beef ramen!
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 cups boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, take off heat and add sachet contents, stir for 1 minute and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet.
A light powder base.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, boiled beef, white onion, fried crispy garlic, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, an egg, and black sesame seeds. The noodles are very soft and on the verge of mushy, however they work well and have a familiarity with them I think anyone in the United States can identify. The broth has a salt beef taste which is pretty good. Reminds me a lot of beef flavors I’ve had in Filipino varieties. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 041789002588.
Maruchan Ramen, Roast Beef, 3-Ounce Packages (Pack of 24)
Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!
Are you ready? Here’s a recipe from Lane of Antlers, Oklahoma – thanks! Watch me cook it up on a special episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time EXTRA!
Watch the full cooking of this amazing thing!
Click to enlarge and enjoy the film! It was interesting – the crisp ramen in concert with the sauce mixture was reminisent of a cheese bite – like an appetizer with fried crispy on the outside and soup cheese inside. But the bite I had next which included the Slim Jim was vexing. It reminded me of fish which was strange. All in all, it’s been a while since I’ve attempted a kind of Franken-noodle and well worth it. Thank, Lane!
Hey look! Tapatio flavor instant noodles? Yeah! I know many of you have loved Tapatio on your noodles for years and they heard that as well, so here we are. Here’s a little about Tapatio from Wikipedia –
Tapatío is a hot sauce, produced in Vernon, California, that can be found at many supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores in the United States.
“Tapatío” is the name given to people from Guadalajara, Jalisco: the company’s founders come from Guadalajara. It is exported to Mexico, Canada, Central America, Australia, and elsewhere.
The ingredients, as listed on the product label, are water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum and sodium benzoate as a preservative. Tapatío comes in five sizes: 5, 10, and 32 fluid ounces, and 1 gallon (3.785 liters), as well as in 7-gram packets. The sauce overall has a Scoville rating of 3,000, hotter than Sriracha.[1]
The product slogan is “Es una salsa … Muy salsa” (very saucy”).
The Tapatío Hot Sauce company was started in 1971 by Jose-Luis Saavedra, Sr., in a 750-square-foot (70 m2) warehouse in Maywood, California.[6] In 1985, the company moved to a 8,500-square-foot (790 m2) facility in Vernon, California, 5 miles (8.0 km) from Downtown Los Angeles. Although larger than the first location, the new factory had a single loading dock and limited storage space, which created a new series of problems for the company. After a long search, a site was found for a developer to custom-build a new 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) facility, which Tapatío presently occupies. The new factory has several loading docks and automated production.
Let’s peel back the lid and see how this variety ticks!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
Lots of powder!
Some loose bits of vegetable from the bowl.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added ground beef, cilantro, medium cheddar, sweet onion, red bell pepper, and egg. Noodles were done with the steeping method and came out really well. The broth is very tangy and with a nice amount of spiciness. Works well. Included garnish has a nice quantity as well as quality. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 780707102121.
Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Big Bowl 105g, Beef Flavor (Bulk Case of 6)
Watch me cook this one up!
Hey look at this! A Tapatio instant noodle! I’ve seen people douse their instant noodles in this stuff for years on Instagram. Here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –
Tapatío is a hot sauce, produced in Vernon, California, that can be found at many supermarkets, pharmacies, and liquor stores in the United States.
“Tapatío” is the name given to people from Guadalajara, Jalisco: the company’s founders come from Guadalajara. It is exported to Mexico, Canada, Central America, Australia, and elsewhere.
The ingredients, as listed on the product label, are water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum and sodium benzoate as a preservative. Tapatío comes in five sizes: 5, 10, and 32 fluid ounces, and 1 gallon (3.785 liters), as well as in 7-gram packets. The sauce overall has a Scoville rating of 3,000, hotter than Sriracha.[1]
The product slogan is “Es una salsa … Muy salsa” (very saucy”).
The Tapatío Hot Sauce company was started in 1971 by Jose-Luis Saavedra, Sr., in a 750-square-foot (70 m2) warehouse in Maywood, California.[6] In 1985, the company moved to a 8,500-square-foot (790 m2) facility in Vernon, California, 5 miles (8.0 km) from Downtown Los Angeles. Although larger than the first location, the new factory had a single loading dock and limited storage space, which created a new series of problems for the company. After a long search, a site was found for a developer to custom-build a new 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) facility, which Tapatío presently occupies. The new factory has several loading docks and automated production.
Hey cool – let’s give this one a try!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meaty free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in sachet contents and add boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
Loose bits from the bowl.
The soup base sachet.
A lot of colorful powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added fried egg, cheddar cheese, cilantro and fried jalapeno. The noodles are thin and light – and of a good quality and pretty large quantity. The broth is a tangy and spicy one, with definite notes of Tapatio. Pretty good! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 780707102114.
Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Big Bowl 105g , Original (Bulk Case of 6)
Hey! Watch me cook the beef variety on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!
Well would you look at that! Top Ramen. An American original. You might be thinking ‘aww that’s Japanese,’ but this stuff is as American as it gets. The flavor is made to appeal to the local market. What bums me out is when I say ‘an American original’ all I can think about is my favorite political show which is no more. My dad used to watch The McLaughlin Group for years and I finally hit an age after he was gone that I checked it out and got hooked on it. I’d torture poor Andy and make him watch it all the time. But Dr. McLaughlin died a couple years ago, and they ended the series long run. I would be curious how it would have been if he would have stayed alive longer – how the show would be these days. Anyways, I’ve gone way off track. So soy sauce is known as Shoyu in Japan. This is a kind of Shoyu ramen. Let’s check i tout!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Says vegetarian on the front and looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 cups boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A light powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, hard boiled egg, spring onion, narutomaki, chashu pork and nanami togarashi. The noodles hydrate as expected. They have a very standard baseline kind of chew – slight plumpness works but just seems a hint less chew than should be. The broth seems much changed from the original Oriental’ flavor. This new recipe definitely has strong notes of mushroom, undoubtedly from replacement of artificial flavors. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 070662010013.
Nissin Top Ramen – Soy Sauce Flavor (pack of 24) Formerly Oriental Flavor, Same Great Flavor
The ones I’m reviewing today were in a box the company sent
This box comes by way of my friend Robert Z. from Kentucky – thanks, man! He’s got a new blog caled DadBert, named after a nickname his daughters gave him. Dadbert.com features a myriad of dishes that he cooks for dinner and they all look real good – should go check it out! Anyways, let’s delve into this box…
Some neat exotic varieties and some never before seen domestics – I’m really thinking he’s living in a test market for these new domestics. Thanks again!
Here’s one of the two new flavors of Nissin Foods’ domestic Cup Noodles range from the United States. I’m very curious about this one and the other (Teriyaki Chicken). Let’s crack it open and have a look around!
Detail of the outer cardboard wrap (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and cover for 3 minutes. Do not microwave. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The iconic cup.
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
Loose bits from the cup.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and sesame seeds. The noodles came out as expected – a little spongy with a standard gauge. The broth was really not working for me – sesame chicken wasn’t what I thought of, nor really could get to with imagination. Vegetables hydrated well, chicken bits were gristly. 0.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 070662030257.
N i s s i n S e s a m e C h i c ke n , 2.25 Ounce (Pack of 12)
An advert for the new Very Veggie Cup Noodles
So this is one that the company sent to me – thanks! So this is one of the new Taste Of Asia series, a range that has some really great varieties. I really liked the Sukiyaki Beef from their first three kinds and then they came out with this one and also a Tom Yum which I would say is my favorite so far.
But today it’s kimchi. I do like kimchi and it’s interesting to see how it’s done from variety to variety. Let’s have a look at this bowl, one that I’ve found Maruchan packs with lots of noodles usually.
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, add room temp water and contents of sachet marked 1. Microwave (1000W) for 3 minutes and let cool for another minute. Add in sachet marked 2. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
The first of two sachets.
Looks like a lot of kimchi.
The soup base sachet.
A light powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, beef, and spring onion. The noodles are bountiful, thin, and soft on the tooth. The broth is extremely tangy, which unfortunately didn’t hit me too happily. I love kimchi, but this didn’t seem on point as their other Taste Of Asia variants. The included kimchi was alright – and it had a good quantity. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 041789003554.
Well, this is something completely different. Definitely a departure from their usual line . Maruchan’s Instant Lunch range is very popular in the United States. The flavors are generally in the domestic flavor profiles ranging from your standard chicken to California Vegetable to Cheddar Cheese.
This product, however, is new and comes at a time when they’re expanding their more regional varieties. Udon is Japanese as well as ramen, but soy sauce udon – this is more like what sounds like a shoyu ramen but with a thicker noodle. I’m very curious about this one – so much so I emailed Maruchan and they sent these samples! Thanks!
Anyways, let’s try out this newest comer to the Instant Lunch range.
Detail of the cardboard outer (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line. cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The iconic cup.
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
Loose garnish and seasoning from the cup.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, narutomaki, spring onion and shichimi togarashi. The noodle is broad and thick. Derfinitely much heartier and hydrated very well. The broth is definitely a nice shoyu with a lightness to it and an interaction with the noodle which is very good. Included bits were of good quality. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 041789001697.
M a r u c h a n – Akai Kitsune Instant Udon Bowl 3.39 Oz (Pack of 6)
When I saw this one I was extremely interested. I’ve had tom yum soup many times in Thailand and in Malaysia as well. I’ve reviewed tom yum instant noodle varieties from throughout Southeast Asia – tons of them. I’ve NEVER had one however from the United States. Not only that, this one is a microwavable tom yum. I must admit these are definitely uncharted waters. I’m really hoping this is good. With an open mind and palate, I delve into this bowl.
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp, chicken, and lobster. To prepare, add in sachet marked #1 and add room temp water to fill line. Microwave (1000W) for 3 minutes and let stand an additional minute. Add in dry base sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
The first of two sachets.
Most bell pepper and shrimp.
A dry base sachet.
A lot of powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chilli oil, coriander, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles were flat and on the thin side. This worked extremely well with the broth which has a very good character; it had the spiciness, lemongrass notes and a good sweetness which I love about tom yum. I liked how a little creamer was in there to give the broth a kind of heartiness. The bell pepper did well, the shrimp was there and the only complaint was that they were small and only a scant few. However, I found this to be absolutely fantastic stuff – very authentic and I found the noodle was light enough that it reminded me of rice noodles. This was a very pleasant surprise and I definitely recommend it to tom yum fans. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 041789003547.
Maruchan Bowl, Taste of Asia, Sukiyaki Beef Flavor Ramen, 3.66 Ounce
This is what I think of when I hear tomyum
Today, I’m happy to be unboxing some samples from Maruchan!
Maruchan has recently come out with some new additions to a couple of their ranges. Two new bowls from Taste Of Asia and a new Instant Lunch. Check out the video as I unbox them for your viewing pleasure! Thank you very much to Maruchan Consumer Affairs for sending these my way – really appreciate it!
Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater
© Hans Lienesch and The Ramen Rater, 2002-2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used non-commercially, provided that full and clear credit is given to Hans Lienesch and The Ramen Rater with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Products reviewed are copyrighted by their respective owners.
